Search - Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Christopher Jackson Concerto Palatino :: Puer Natus est

Very solid, but nothing new here

scott | Calgary, Canada | 12/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For anyone who is a fan of Gabrieli (and who isn't?) this is a cd worth getting. Half of the 14 tracks are by Gabrieli, with other composers including Goudimel, Picchi, Heredia, Schein, Barahona, Grillo, and Rimonte.



The Gabrieli pieces are mostly familiar Christmas motets (O magnum mysterium, Angelus ad pastores, and Salvator noster) while the others my been unknown to the broader public.



Of the other composers, the Canzon secunda by Grillo and the Sancta Maria by Rimonte stand out.



Studio de musique ancienne de Montreal (of SMAM) are a very good Canadian choir specializing in early music. The total number of voices is 13 (distributed 4/3/3/3), so that they are often one or two voices per part making for a clear, transparent sound.



Concerto Palatino are, as usual, excellent, as this is ideal repetoire for them.



Of the Gabrieli works I already own, none of these performances is my favorite, but they are still very good. It sounds like the recording was made in a large space, and it has a fairly open sound, but isn't too reverberant. Overall this is worth picking up"